


blood, like victory

by seraphina_snape



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (Temporary) Loss of Powers, Alive Erica, Alpha Erica Reyes, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, F/M, Minor Character Death, POV Erica Reyes, erica & boyd & cora friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 13:09:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2733776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The lunar eclipse strips a werewolf of its powers. <i>Every</i> werewolf. Even alphas with a cruel streak and clawed feet. </p>
<p>(AKA the story of how Erica Reyes <i>didn't</i> fail that day in the vault)</p>
            </blockquote>





	blood, like victory

**Author's Note:**

> For [sa_brina86](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sa_brina86) who loves Erica and got me to finally get off my butt and post this fic. :D 
> 
> If you're worried about the minor character death tag, check the end notes. (Or the summary. That kind of gives it away, too. ;p)
> 
> Edit (Dec 21, 2014): The lovely fic banner was made for me by sa_brina86. Isn't it lovely? *g*

Erica realizes her mistake almost immediately. The eclipse doesn't make her stronger - in fact, it's the opposite that's true. She faces Kali with clawed hands and glowing eyes, but seconds later she feels her fangs retract and her vision goes darker, losing its supernatural edge. When she takes a swipe at Kali, Erica drags blunt nails over Kali's cheek, leaving scratches from perfectly human fingernails, not claws.

Kali laughs, sharp and loud, but Erica has dealt with bullies all of her life. She's walked the hallways of high school like a ghost, hoping to be unseen and unheard by everyone with a penchant for cruelty. She hasn't always been successful either, running into the arms of bullies at least once a day. People who don't like her appearance, people who don't like her attitude, people who don't understand her sickness and what it does (did) to her. People who are casually cruel just because they can. People who laugh at her for everything she is, says or does. 

And Kali? She's just another bully. 

Kali's mouth twists into a smirk and she shifts her weight, springing forward to attack. She punches Erica, hitting her cheekbone with a loud smack. The momentum of the punch sends Erica flying and she stumbles, crashing to the ground in an ungraceful heap. She's been a werewolf for only a couple of months, and already she's relying on extra strength and agility for so much. It's humiliating to land her face like that. Like she's already forgotten what it's like to face insults with a stony glare and ridicule with inner peace. 

She's a master of the stony glare, but of course Erica's never really mastered gaining inner peace. Under her skin, the fires are always burning. It's what makes her a good werewolf. 

Erica doesn't want to look at Kali's face. She doesn't need to _see_ the sneer on Kali's face when she can hear the taunts and insults perfectly well. Instead, Erica looks straight ahead, watching as Kali's feet come into view.

Erica frowns. Kali's insults fade from her hearing. Erica's focus is solely on Kali's bare feet - her entirely _human_ bare feet.

A quick glance at Kali's face confirms it: the scratches Erica left on Kali's cheek at minute ago are still clearly visible, three angry red lines on light brown skin. 

Erica bites her lip to keep from grinning. Kali is human. Just as human as she is for now. 

Just as vulnerable. 

Erica slowly scrambles to her feet, cradling one arm to her chest. The wince of pain is real, but Kali doesn't know it's not Erica's arm that's hurt, but her cheek she's biting into. 

"I would kill you right now, little girl, but we have plans for you three." Kali pats her cheek condescendingly, giving her a wolfish grin. "Why don't you sit back down before I have to rewrite our plans for two betas instead of three, huh?"

Erica looks down, locks her gaze to Kali's feet until she hears a low chuckle and Kali turns away. 

She waits until Kali's back is turned. Some would call it a cowardly attack. Erica calls it a survival tactic. She needs surprise on her side, and luck. 

So much luck.

Kali is almost at the doorway when Erica moves. She uses her own momentum to crash into Kali's back, pushing her against the steel edge of the round vault entrance. She grabs a fistful of Kali's dark hair and forces Kali's head forward, slamming it against the wall as hard as she can. 

Kali makes a pained noise and Erica repeats the move before Kali can recover. The second blow results in a rush of blood from Kali's nose, dripping down on her bare feet. Kali slips and falls, landing half in, half out of the vault, her upper body draped over the threshold. 

For a second Erica just stares down at her, wonders if she's dreaming. Then Kali moans. She squirms, her movements sluggish and uncoordinated. She makes no move to get up. One of her arms is trapped underneath her, the other lies uselessly at her side, grabbing at thin air. 

Erica snaps out of her stunned silence. She doesn't have much time to act let alone think before the eclipse is over or the other alphas regain their supernatural hearing. She steps over Kali's prone form, casting a quick glance around the room outside her prison. It still looks the same it did when they brought them in - however long ago it was. Time moves differently in the vault, without daylight - or moonlight - to mark the days. The thick walls made hearing beyond the vault a challenge, and the building is vast enough that not much from the outside penetrates this deeply into it. 

A closed door on the left-hand side and an open corridor on the left-hand side are the only visible exits to the room. A faint light at the end of the corridor sends Erica's pulse up. The other alphas are in the building somewhere. The eclipse keeps them from hearing anything, but an eclipse doesn't last forever. They have to get out. And they have to do it fast. 

"Boyd, Cora," she says, looking back into the vault. She catches Boyd's eye, fighting down the worry when he looks at her with tired eyes. When the alphas "check in on them" it's mostly an excuse to rough them up a bit. They beat Boyd the worst, possibly because he's physically stronger than her or Cora. Maybe they're just sexist. Whatever the reason, Boyd is the one out of them most likely covered in bruises. Being without his powers for now seems to have momentarily stopped his healing, making him the weakest. 

Cora is at Boyd's side, one arm around his back, the other one hovering ineffectively between them. 

"Come on," Erica says urgently, "we need to get out. Now!" 

Cora helps Boyd to his feet, but she's not strong enough to help him on her own. Erica curses under her breath and steps back into the vault. It feels like the walls are closing in on her, but she focuses on Boyd and Cora. Before she can take more than two steps, though, Kali's hand shoots out and wraps around her ankle.

Erica yelps and easily pulls her foot from Kali's weak grasp. Kali's eyes are glassy and unfocused, but she's already more mobile than she was two minutes ago. Kali isn't a physical match for her or Cora right now, but that doesn't mean she can't stop them if she wants. One scream will bring the twins and Ennis, maybe even Deucalion. 

The thought sends a shiver down Erica's spine. They have a shot against Kali. But against Ennis and the twins? Not a chance in hell, werewolf powers or not. If they want to get out, they need to do something about Kali. 

Erica looks back at Boyd, leaning heavily on Cora. 

_She_ needs to do something.

Her thoughts racing, Erica looks down at Kali who is slowly trying to rise up on her hands and knees. She looks like a newborn foal trying to find its feet, but Erica can't afford pity or empathy. None of the alphas had shown them any empathy. Kali had laughed in her face the first time Erica, tearful and frightened, had asked why the alphas were doing it. The twins make a contest out of beating them up. Deucalion is the worst of all. He's the scorpion. You help him over the river and as a thank you, he poisons you.

The only one of them Erica doesn't hate with a fiery passion for what he's done is Ennis. Him she hates because he's never lifted a finger to stop the others. All he does is watch. 

Kali grunts in an effort to support her own weight and Erica jolts back to the present. Kali has struggled to her hands and knees. Her arms shake and her breathing is loud and harsh in the spacious vault. 

Erica doesn't need to look around the vault to know there's nothing in it that can be used as a weapon. 

Erica stomps on Kali's hand, tasting bile when Kali makes a croaking sound and falls back down, unable to support herself. This - this human way of fighting - is different. It feels different - worse - somehow. Slashing at someone's throat with clawed hands allows for a surprising amount of distance. It's all instinct. But fighting without the wolf roaring in the back of her head makes it feel more personal. Premeditated. Almost like she has _more_ responsibility for her actions now that she's not ruled and guided by animals instincts. 

It's nonsense, of course. The wolf is her and she is the wolf. She's accountable for her actions whether she's using her claws, a weapon or her own bare hands. 

She jumps over Kali's back, looking for weapons, anything she can use while Kali is down. There's a stapler and a myriad of office supplies, but nothing she can effectively use as a weapon. She turns back to the others and catches sight of the open vault door. 

Letting out a shaky breath, Erica wraps a hand around the star handle of the vault door. Despite its enormous weight, the vault door moves easily - almost effortlessly - and nearly soundlessly. She can feel the draft of air when she lets go and the vault door smashes closed. 

Kali makes a choked-off sound and Erica closes her eyes for a brief second, taking a deep breath. When she opens her eyes again, the world seems to have fallen into sharper focus. She doesn't hesitate when she launches herself forward, ramming her shoulder into the vault door to give it another shove. It crashes into Kali's upper body with a loud, sickening crack of bone. Blood starts flowing out from under the almost closed vault door, gathering in a pool that soon reaches Erica's boots.

It's like something snaps inside of her at the sight of Kali's red blood. At first Erica thinks she's lost it, that killing Kali broke not just Kali's bones but something inside of Erica, too. But after a split second, she recognizes the familiar feeling of the moon wrapping around her soul. 

The eclipse is over. 

Erica isn't sure if she broke Kali's neck or her skull or both, and she doesn't look too closely when she pulls at the vault door, intent on grabbing her friends and escaping while they still can. 

Cora and Boyd are wolfed out, crouching low. Boyd is still favoring his left side, but his restored powers make him functional again. Erica looks at the two sets of glowing golden eyes and can feel her own flash in response. 

The strong red tint over everything is the first clue that something is different. Then Cora and Boyd avert their eyes, subtly baring their throats. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Erica knows what it means, but she's too busy planning their escape to think about it for too long. 

"Come on." She jerks her head back towards the rest of the bank. "We're leaving."

Boyd comes out first. He slips on Kali's blood and Erica catches his arm in a strong grip, stopping him from falling. He gives her a snort nod - somehow it feels like recognition, acceptance and a thank you all rolled into one. 

Cora jumps over Kali's body, joining them outside the vault. "Now what?" she asks.

"Now we escape," Erica says, keeping her voice low.

"The other alphas," Boyd says. It's only half a question, but Erica answers it anyway.

"I can't feel Deucalion nearby," she says, cocking her head to the side. "But Ennis and the twins are here. I'm not sure how much an alpha pack works like a real pack, but Ennis and Kali seemed close. He might be able to feel her death - we shouldn't hang around long." 

"Wasn't planning on it," Cora says, "but Boyd is still injured. How are we supposed to get out? There are three alphas out there - big ones." 

"Which is why we're not fighting our way out," Erica says. "We're sneaking out." 

"How?" 

"When they brought us in, there was a row of offices along the side of the gallery around the upper floor. Offices have windows and fire escapes." 

Erica ushers the other two along the corridor, ears pricked for any movement from the alphas. 

The corridor opens into the bank's main space, a large rectangular room stretching almost the full length and up into the second floor of the building. A wide gallery runs around the second floor, with offices to the side and at the other end of the building. Erica pulls Cora and Boyd in the first office, quietly closing the door behind them. 

A handful of defunct office furniture is standing against the side of the room, leaving a free space that's illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the large window. The fire escape is off to the side and one office over, but the jump is easy enough for a werewolf.

"It'll have to do," Erica says. If Boyd was in better form, they could have attempted to jump straight down, relying on their reflexes and strength to buffer the fall.

Boyd starts towards the window, stepping into the moonlit patch of floor. Immediately, he starts to emit a low growl, hair sprouting on his face. 

Erica's reaction is instinctual. She grabs Boyd by the back of his neck and digs her fingernails in, forcing his head around until she can look him straight in the eye. Boyd holds her gaze for a few seconds, his eyes glowing before he squeezes them shut and stops growling. 

"Keep it together for now, Boyd," Erica says, stroking over his neck to soothe away the additional pain she caused him. "Now, here's the plan: you two go out the window and down into the alley. Get to a main street, somewhere with people where they can't get to you. We can meet at the movie theater. If you can't get there, or if I'm not there in two hours, call Derek or Scott or, hell, even Stiles to pick you up." 

"What about you?" Cora asks.

"I'm gonna distract them so they don't hear you." 

"What? That's suicide!" 

"Not if I can pull it off," Erica says. She gives Cora's arm a comforting squeeze and then presses a chase kiss to Boyd's lips. When he looks at her in surprise, she smiles and shrugs. "In case I can't pull it off after all." 

"Make sure that you do pull it off then," he says. "I want a repeat performance when I'm not in pain and we're not in mortal danger." 

Erica nods, her smile widening. "Deal." 

"Ugh," Cora says, rolling her eyes. "Time and place, people! Hint: this isn't it!" 

"Okay," Erica says. "Wait for my signal. You'll know it when you hear it." 

Erica opens the door with a quiet _snick_ and closes it behind her with the same care. She crouches down and eases forward until she can see down into the bank's main floor below. Ennis is nowhere to be seen, but the twins are watching TV in the former manager's office at the far end of the building, behind the row of tellers' counters. The top halves of the manager's office's walls are made of glass, starting at about chest height, giving Erica a perfect view of the lounging twins. 

What's more important is that it gives the twins a good view as well. 

Erica stands up, feeling her claws come out and her fangs drop. She climbs on top of the stone balustrade running the length of the gallery and jumps down into the main floor. She can't resist the urge to make it flashy, flipping over backwards and landing in a crouch. 

In the manager's office the twins scramble to their feet, already pulling off their shirts. Erica growls, a deep, penetrating sound that is amplified by the great acoustics in the bank until it sounds impressive even to herself.

The twins don't bother with the door and Erica grins. The smashing glass and splintering wood from the twins' dramatic entrance is more than enough to cover Cora and Boyd's exit. 

Erica isn't stupid. She can't go against the twins in their mutated alpha form - she's simply not strong enough for that. She has to factor Ennis in, too. Erica can sense him nearby. He's in the building somewhere and the crashing noises will alert him even if Kali's death did not. With him possibly seconds from joining the fray, Erica needs to make her own exit, and fast. Deucalion, wherever he is, is likely on the way back, too. 

Erica gives the twins a fake apologetic shrug and runs. 

The main entrance is behind her, through a short, shadowy corridor. The doors are locked and secured with chains, but Erica is confident that she can break through. The doors are, after all, made of a milky glass set into metal frames. She can break the glass and step through the frames. It will likely give her a few more seconds on the twins who'll have more trouble fitting their bulk through the empty framework. 

She's almost at the door - ten feet at the most - when Ennis slams into her from the side, crowding her against the wall. Something inside her shoulder rips and Erica roars in pain. 

But Erica is intimately familiar with pain - it's something she's so used to from her human days that she hardly feels it now that she has accelerated healing. She ignores the fading pain and drags her claws over Ennis' face, following it up with a kick to the knee when he draws back to protect his eyes. 

She makes it another four feet before Ennis is on her again. This time he slams into her from behind, flinging her forward. 

Erica crashes her head into the lower half of one of the double doors. The glass splinters around her head, raining down shards of varying sizes on her face and neck. Some of them get tangled in her hair, cutting into her scalp and her hands when she instinctively tries to cover her face. 

Erica laughs despite the myriad of cuts and the sharp, biting new pain. She doesn't have time to catalog every small wound or inspect all the cuts before they start healing. 

This is her chance. 

Ennis did her a favor when he broke the glass with her head. She scrambles forward, kicking back when she feels a hand on her leg. She's up and running as soon as she clears the door, ignoring the looks and comments from the few passersby on the street. She turns right, the opposite of where Boyd and Cora left the bank building.

She wipes a trickle of blood from her cheek, knowing that the skin under the stain has already healed. In her mouth, Erica can taste blood.

It tastes like victory.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it. 
> 
> __________________________  
> Minor character death: Kali


End file.
